Chapter 144: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 144

Even though I had come to the zoo to keep my promise to Rion, I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy it much.

I liked animals, but the zoo, in my experience, was just a place where you could see tired animals lounging around, much like a soldier at the end of their military service.

I had only been to a zoo once when I was very young, so maybe it was a biased view, but I always thought that watching a documentary would be a much more engaging way to see animals. 

Besides, I had seen most animals on YouTube, so I doubted I would be amazed by anything I saw at the zoo.

Or so I thought.

“What... is this...?”

“Hey, Sis, is this your first time at the zoo?”

“...Yeah, I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

The moment I stepped into the zoo, I couldn’t keep my mouth from hanging open at the sight before me.

A tropical rainforest with towering trees, a vast desert filled with sand, and even an ice-covered polar region—all these different environments, just a few steps apart from each other.

It was like stepping into another world. As I stood there, wide-eyed, taking in the astonishing sights around me, Yoon Si-woo started explaining.

“This zoo was created by the Grand Magician who put up the barrier around the city. Since the presence of magic made it impossible for many creatures to survive, he used magic to recreate entire ecosystems, preserving as many species as possible that originally lived in those environments. Thanks to that, we can see what kinds of animals used to live in these habitats.”

Recreating entire ecosystems—this was truly the kind of grand scale you’d expect from a world where magic exists.

No wonder an entire section of the city was dedicated to this zoo…

It made me think that if Noah’s Ark were real, it would probably look something like this.

But given how the zoo was set up, I wondered how visitors were supposed to see the animals. Reading the brochure, I found out that there were separate viewing areas for those who wanted to see the animals up close.

Moreover, for those curious about how the animals lived in their ecosystems, there were hologram-like screens floating in the air, displaying live footage of the animals.

I noticed that the children had gathered around one of these screens, watching it with fascination. When I looked at it, I nearly jumped in surprise and pointed at the screen, shouting.

“Look at that! There’s a horn on that horse!”

“Uh, Scarlet. That’s not a horse, it’s a unicorn.”

A unicorn! The mythical creature itself!

Come to think of it, in a world where magic and elves exist, it wasn’t surprising to see mythical creatures either.

I suddenly remembered those cheesy ads I used to mock that insisted “Unicorns are real!” and silently apologized.

I’m sorry. Unicorns really do exist.

Seeing a unicorn with my own eyes made me wonder if they also had something like the transparent dragon that had fascinated me as a child. I stared at the screen, hoping to see one.

But then I realized that even if there was a transparent dragon, I wouldn’t be able to see it anyway, and I felt a pang of disappointment.

Too bad, I really wanted to see if it would roar “Kraaaaa!” like I imagined.

But as I continued to watch the strange and wondrous animals on the screen, my excitement quickly returned. I grabbed Yoon Si-woo by the arm and shook him, exclaiming.

“Look there! That horse has wings!”

“That’s a pegasus.”

“A pegasus! That’s it!”

I marveled at the sight of the pegasus soaring gracefully through the air.

“And over there! That eagle has four legs!”

“That’s a griffin.”

“So that’s a griffin!”

I cheered at the sight of the griffin circling above, looking as menacing as the ones from *Harry Potter*.

“Wow! That cat has whiskers!”

“...Scarlet cats usually have whiskers.”

“Haha! Right, they do!”

I was so caught up in the excitement that I found myself shouting out whatever I saw, even at a regular cat, and laughing out loud.

Though this environment was man-made, seeing these lively animals thriving within it filled me with energy as well.

At that moment, I noticed a group of people nearby staring at a corner of the screen and letting out high-pitched screams.

Curious, I looked at the screen and saw two red lizards, like something out of a Pokémon battle, spewing intense flames at each other as if competing to see who was stronger.

“Wow, look at those lizards! They’re fighting like that!”

“Uh, well... those are salamanders, and actually, they’re not fighting...”

As Yoon Si-woo hesitated, unsure how to explain, Director Maria, who had been watching us with a gentle smile, stepped in.

“Scarlet, they’re not fighting—they’re mating. Salamanders are creatures without distinct genders, so they compare their flames like that, and the one with the weaker flame will carry the stronger one’s offspring. Since they’re said to be born from flames, when one accepts the other’s flame into their body, they become pregnant.”

As soon as the director finished explaining, one of the salamanders stopped its fiery display, seemingly accepting the other’s superiority, and allowed the other’s flame to envelop it. Then, as if their previous battle had never happened, the two salamanders gazed at each other with a deep, affectionate look.

Feeling culturally shocked, I nudged Yoon Si-woo with my elbow and murmured.

“Wow, so they just made a baby? That’s amazing…”

“Uh... yeah... amazing...”

With a slightly awkward Yoon Si-woo by my side, I continued to watch the animals with the children, my eyes sparkling at the sight of these fascinating creatures I had never seen before.

Perhaps surprised to see me openly expressing such joy for the first time in a long while, Yoon Si-woo, who had been quietly observing me, asked in a soft voice.

“...Scarlet, you really like animals, huh? You look really happy.”

“Yeah, I’ve never been to a place like this before, but it’s so much fun. I’m really glad I came.”

I answered him, then turned to look at him for a moment before murmuring.

“But... if I had come here alone, it might not have been as fun...”

The only reason I could enjoy the animals so freely and comfortably was because Yoon Si-woo was by my side.

I had confidence that whatever problem might arise, Yoon Si-woo would handle it.

“I wouldn’t have been able to feel this happy without you here. Thanks for coming with me.”

With a grateful smile, I said to Yoon Si-woo.

“...If there’s another place you’d like to go, just tell me. I’ll go with you.”

He replied shyly, “...Sure. I’ll let you know.”

*

After watching the animals on the screen for a while, we moved to the viewing course where we could see the animals up close with the children.

This part of the zoo felt more like the one I was familiar with.

But I heard that some of the animals here could be fed or even ridden, so my interest didn’t wane at all.

“Is there an animal you’d like to see up close?”

“Hmm... I don’t know...”

I hesitated as I pondered which animal I wanted to see most, but then I heard a neighing sound from somewhere.

As soon as I heard it, I knew where I wanted to go.

“That one, I want to see that one up close.”

“Which one? Oh... the unicorn?”

As I nodded eagerly and mentally shouted, *Unicorns are real!*, I slowly approached the unicorn's enclosure. The area was crowded with people, all captivated by the pure white unicorn that stood inside. However, the unicorn seemed uninterested in the crowd, its back turned to them as it occasionally neighed and pawed the ground.

As I got closer, I noticed that the zookeeper inside the enclosure seemed a bit troubled.

“Sigh, this one’s really... Everyone, I’m sorry, but this unicorn is quite sensitive. I don’t think today’s feeding experience will be possible... Hey, wait, what’s happening?”

I was feeling disappointed, thinking I wouldn’t get the chance to feed the unicorn, when suddenly, it turned and seemed to look directly at me. As I tilted my head, wondering if it was just my imagination, the unicorn started walking briskly toward me, causing me to flinch in surprise.

In that moment, Yoon Si-woo stepped in front of me, as if to shield me from the unicorn. I stared at the back of his head, wondering what he was doing, when the unicorn approached the fence, stuck its head out, and snorted, glaring at Yoon Si-woo.

A brief silence fell over us before Yoon Si-woo turned to the flustered zookeeper and asked,

“...Excuse me, but why is it acting like this?”

“Um... well, it seems like this young lady here has caught its eye. This isn’t normal behavior for it... Miss, would you mind feeding it?”

“...Can’t I just feed it instead?” Yoon Si-woo asked, but the unicorn immediately snorted disdainfully and let out a sharp whinny.

...It sounded like it was saying “Don’t be ridiculous.”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who noticed the unicorn’s reaction because Yoon Si-woo visibly trembled with frustration. Although I felt a bit sorry for him, it didn’t change the fact that I had been hoping to feed the unicorn. So, I stepped past him and picked up some feed from the trough near the fence, offering it to the unicorn.

The unicorn cautiously accepted the feed from my hand, then, as if satisfied, let out a gentle whinny and started nuzzling its head against my hand. The smooth, silky texture of its coat left me in awe, and as I marveled at it, I noticed the unicorn glancing at the zookeeper with a peculiar expression.

“No way... Are you serious? You’re not usually like this... Miss, would you like to ride it?”

“Excuse me? You mean... me? Ride it?”

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but the unicorn seems to really want it. It’s never allowed anyone to ride it before, but now it’s suddenly acting this way. If you really don’t want to, you don’t have to, but... could you please consider it just this once?”

The zookeeper, looking like he was making a once-in-a-lifetime request, bent over in a deep bow as he pleaded with me.

I couldn’t hide my surprise at being asked to ride the unicorn. Shouldn’t it be the other way around, with me begging for a chance to ride it?

My answer, of course, was yes. As soon as I nodded, the unicorn let out a joyful neigh.

However, Yoon Si-woo looked around and furrowed his brow in displeasure.

“Scarlet, maybe you shouldn’t...”

“Why? I really want to ride it...”

“...Sigh, alright. Just be careful.”

I wasn’t sure why I needed his permission, but after receiving it, I entered the enclosure. The unicorn immediately knelt down, as if waiting for me to climb on.

I was a bit nervous since I’d never ridden an animal before, but the zookeeper reassured me by holding my hand and saying,

“Don’t worry. Unicorns are gentlemen; they won’t run roughly.”

Trusting her words, I climbed onto the unicorn’s back, and it slowly rose to its full height. The sudden increase in elevation made me tense up for a moment, but the unicorn’s low, soothing whinny calmed me down, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Wow, this is amazing! I’m so high up!

Even though I had only doubled my usual height, it felt like I had grown into a giant.

As the zookeeper had said, the unicorn’s gait was so smooth that I barely felt any jolting, despite the moderate speed. It was like riding a merry-go-round—though I’d never actually ridden one before.

Feeling more relaxed, I noticed the people outside the enclosure staring at me in awe. Filled with a burst of excitement, I smiled and waved at them, and before I knew it, the lap around the enclosure was over.

As I dismounted and exited the enclosure, I felt the gazes of everyone around me fixate on me.

Are they jealous? They must be.

Having just experienced something truly extraordinary, I couldn’t stop smiling as I basked in the memory. Just then, a man approached me and spoke.

“Excuse me, miss, if you have a moment—”

Curious about what he wanted to say, I started to listen, but suddenly, someone stepped in front of me, blocking my view.

It was Yoon Si-woo.

He glared at the man for a moment, then grabbed my wrist and began leading me away from the unicorn’s enclosure.

“...Let’s go somewhere else.”

“W-wait a second, I think that guy wanted to talk to me about something...”

“You don’t need to worry about people like that. Let’s go.”

“Uh...? O-okay...”

Yoon Si-woo was unusually firm today, and in the end, I didn’t even get to properly thank the unicorn before we left.

Thanks for letting me ride you, unicorn.

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Author’s Note (Post-Chapter Comment)

Unicorns are real!

TMI 1) Naturally, unicorns won’t allow anyone who isn’t a virgin to touch them. Therefore, riding a unicorn signifies that the person is a pure-hearted maiden. Because of this, many men often gather around unicorn enclosures, hoping to find such women.

TMI 2) Unicorn caretakers have always been in demand, both in the past and present. The profession is highly sought after by women and, in a different sense, by men as well. At one point, a survey revealed that the number one goal for many men was to convince their unicorn-caretaker girlfriend to quit her job.

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